White Thunder Several days before the ride I changed my tires from summer to snow. This is because I woke up one morning to thunder and lightning. Now in the summer I wouldn't think anything other than a storm was on its way but in the winter it means something completely different. In the winter here in Hokuriku, thunder and lightning means nothing short of snow. The sky turns a dark gray and deep, rolling sheets of thunder cascade their way across the the thick, endless clouds. It has a presence, a life of its own and each bass rumble carries a personality, something tangible that you feel deep in your soul. There is force in this thunder, a primordial energy. At the same time the thunder is preceded almost immediately by a crisp, clean strike of bolt lightning that is not unlike the slash of an Islamic butcher's knife across the throat of a lamb. To see it is to believe it. Cam Switzer |